The Changeling
by nachocheese26
Summary: Changes are coming to Camelot. Changes that have been in the making for years. And everyone agrees these changes are for the better and see their beloved king truly becoming the Once and Future King of Albion. But not everyone agrees with how these changes have come about. And they are sure to make it known.
1. Prologue

Years of running from bandits and magical creatures seemed to have prepared Merlin for this moment as he once again ran for his life in the woods. But this wasn't just from any bandit that would taunt him for a moment before Merlin discarded them with his magic. No, this was far worse.

He looked behind him to see if he could catch a glimpse of his hunter. But he tripped over a tree root and fell on his broken arm. Merlin gasped as he tried to stand back up, cradling his arm in its poorly made sling.

He could hear leaves crunching and heavy footsteps rushing towards him. Merlin held in a yell as he forced himself to his feet and began running again, each step bringing pulsing pain to his left arm.

An arrow whizzed by him and landed in a tree. Merlin didn't turn around. He had to keep running. He couldn't stop now.

Another arrow flew through the air, but this time it connected with his right calf. Merlin yelled, dropping to the ground and falling on his broken arm again. "No, no, no, no…" Merlin whimpered as he began dragging himself, gathering the strength to stand again.

The footsteps were getting closer. Merlin didn't want to look behind. Instead, he looked at his leg and the arrow sticking out. He took a few deep breaths before grabbing the arrow and pulling as hard as he could. This time, he couldn't hold back the yells.

The wood of the arrow snapped, just as it was so close to being out of his leg. Merlin gasped and tried not to think of how blood he was losing. He tried to ignore the pain as he stood up again, but after taking one step, he collapsed.

A pair of familiar brown boots stood in front of Merlin. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, hoping it was just a bad dream. But when he opened them, they were still there. Merlin shook his head. "Please, don't do this…" Merlin craned his neck up to look at him. "Please, Arthur."

Arthur looked down at him with his cloudy eyes and ignored his pleas. Instead, he reached down and hefted Merlin up over his shoulder, not caring about any of his wounds, and began marching back to where they came from.

Merlin shut his eyes tightly and told himself that this was all just a very bad nightmare and he would wake up soon enough.


	2. Chapter 1

3 Months Earlier

Merlin came out of his room, still trying to rub the sleep out of his eye. "Good morning Ga…" Merlin paused and stared at the empty bed. He swallowed hard and shook his head. It was habit to always say good morning to his mentor and pseudo father. But it had been just over a month since Gaius' passing.

He continued walking, stopping only to cut himself a slice of bread, until he was out of the room and heading for Arthur's chambers. Maybe one day, it wouldn't be a habit to say 'good morning' to an empty room and he could actually stand to be in that room for other than sleeping.

He went inside Arthur's chambers to find the curtains had already been drawn and Arthur was already at the table with Gwen eating their breakfast. They glanced up at him, both with smiles. "Good morning, Merlin. How'd you sleep?" Gwen asked.

Merlin took a deep breath. Gwen was now the first person he heard that from in the mornings. Another thing he would simply have to get used to. "Um, fine. Sorry I'm late again." he mumbled as he began puttering around the room, organizing things and seeing what chores would take up his day this time.

Arthur cleared his throat. "Merlin, if you need...extra time, it's all right. All you need to do is ask."

Merlin paused and looked at Arthur. He gave a small shrug. "No, I...this helps, having something to do. I'd just drive myself insane if I had nothing to do and had to stay in ou...my chambers all day." he said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He turned back to the clothes he was putting in a laundry basket and missed the look Arthur and Gwen shared.

"It's getting late and there are some things I should be getting to already." Gwen said as she stood. She gave Arthur a quick kiss and waved good bye to Merlin before leaving the room.

Once the door closed, Arthur spoke up again. "Merlin, why don't you have a seat."

Merlin held in a groan. He really didn't feel like talking about anything. He just wanted to get things done and continue with his daily life. But there would be no refusing Arthur, so he took the seat Gwen had just vacated.

"You of all people know how big of a hole Gaius' death has left in this kingdom. He was a valued part of the council and one of the best physicians Albion has ever seen, and he was obviously the unofficial keeper of all things magic. You spent the most time with him, meaning you are the one he passed most of his knowledge to."

Merlin scratched the back of his head. He knew where this conversation was going, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to have it. "With you being a sorcerer-"

"Warlock." Merlin corrected.

Arthur winced. "I'll get it one day," he mumbled. "Anyways, you have more knowledge of magic than anyone."

"Yeah, but technically, that knowledge is still illegal and so is my existence." Merlin said with a slightly pointed look.

"I know. I'm getting to that point," Arthur took a deep breath. "I think it's time for magic to be brought back into Camelot. And I want you to help me."

Merlin felt his heart tighten. Was this actually happening? The ban on magic would finally be lifted. Merlin smiled genuinely, the first since Gaius' death.

Arthur smiled back. "So I take it you agree to this position?"

Merlin nodded, words failing him.

"Good. We can come up with a title for your new position later. But I also want you to take Gaius' place on the council. You're not a noble, but you understand the intricacies of a commoner's life, and I trust you."

Merlin continued smiling. "Arthur, this is...it would be an honor."

"You won't have too much time to do much else with these new positions and there's still the position of court physician open."

Merlin's smile faltered this time.

"I know you have been doing your best to fill this position, but like I said, with your new positions there won't be much time for anything else. There are already a few candidates picked out and I would like your presence there as I interview them to help choose the best fit."

Merlin nodded, then a realization dawned on him. "I'll have to move to a different room." he said quietly. "Oh, that can easily be arranged." But there was much more to it than simply moving rooms. That was where Merlin had first met Gaius, where they shared many meals, exchanged words of comfort, laughed, argued. The best memories Merlin had of Gaius where in those chambers.

Arthur caught up to Merlin's thought process. He pursed his lips. "Merlin, I'm sorry, I didn't even think...perhaps we could work something out with the new physician-"

"No. No, it's alright," Merlin said, taking a deep breath. "It would probably be better, honestly. I can't even stand to be in there at the moment."

"You're sure?"

Merlin took a deep breath before nodding. "Just give me enough time actually gather my things."

"Well, it'll have to be done soon," Arthur looked down, hiding a small grimace. "The first interview is today and I hope to have one named in time for the feast."

Merlin frowned. "But that's only five days from now."

"Yes, well, we have some work to do," Arthur stood. "Leave the chores to George-"

"George?! Well if you were going to replace me with him, then I wouldn't have agreed to all of these other duties."

Arthur scoffed. "Okay, you can put that on your list of things to do then. Find a new manservant for me that you approve of." He rifled around the papers on his desk until he found a particular one.

"Wait, so you really don't want me to be your manservant anymore?"

"Considering these two new positions you've been given will take up more of your time, I don't think it would be beneficial for you to continue being my manservant. And trust me, your new positions will fill your time. So that means no more spending entire days in the tavern." Arthur dropped the papers in front of Merlin.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you, I really wasn't in the tavern all those times."

"Whatever you want to believe. Take a look at that though. It's my final draft on lifting the ban on magic."

Merlin looked down. "How long have you been working on this?" he asked, scanning through the words quickly.

"About three months now."

Merlin pursed his lips. "Did Gaius know?"

Arthur nodded. "He was the one to help with the first several drafts."

A small smile appeared on Merlin's face again. The knowledge that Gaius knew magic would soon come back to Camelot before dying lifted his spirits even more.

It was just over a month since Gaius passed away quietly in his sleep. Merlin had time to grieve, but now was the time to press on.

* * *

Much to Merlin's chagrin, Arthur had been right. There would've been no way Merlin could've continued being Arthur's manservant with his new responsibilities. Plus, there were the interviews for both court physician and Arthur's new manservant and Merlin slowly moving his things to his new chambers and the memories that brought up. All in all, Merlin was grateful when Gwaine invited him to the tavern after three days of these changes.

"So where have you been hiding lately, Merlin? Princess spreading you thin?" Gwaine asked, setting two mugs of ale on the table.

Merlin reached for one and took a sip, grimacing at the taste. Honestly, he didn't understand how people could actually become alcoholics when it tasted like this. He cleared his throat. "No, just have new responsibilities, that's all."

"Oh? Has he got you combing his horses for fleas now?" Gwaine smirked, taking a large gulp of his drink.

Merlin smiled. "No, more like made me the replacement for Gaius' place on the council. And some other things that will eventually be announced."

Gwaine grinned. "Well, it's about time he's realized your worth!" he exclaimed, clapping a hand on Merlin's shoulder. "This other thing, when's it being announced?"

Merlin never got the chance to answer. A man came up to them, wringing a cloth in his hands. "Um, I'm so sorry, I don't mean to intrude, but I'm extremely late for a meeting and I'm supposed to get into the castle, but I'm not sure how and I asked several people already and to be honest, I'm terrified to ask one of the guards, much less a knight, less they think I'm some kind of assassin, which I swear to you, I'm not, but-"

"Oi, mate, slow down." Gwaine said, holding up a hand. "Why don't you start with your name?"

"Oh, yes of course. I'm Drohn. I was supposed to see his majesty, King Arthur."

Merlin narrowed his eyes a moment. Drohn. That was the last name on the list of potential court physicians. He was supposed to have come in earlier today for his interview. Merlin observed him for a moment. He was tall, probably taller than Arthur, with wiry limbs. He seemed fairly young, possibly only a few years older than Merlin himself, but he already seemed to be going bald. Merlin also noticed him bringing the cloth to his nose, giving a quick sniff and pulling it away, wringing it even more in his hands. Merlin pursed his lips, already imagining how disastrous an interview with this man would be. It wouldn't do to have a nervous, fidgety physician.

"Ah, well I can direct you to him right now." Gwaine said as he began standing up.

Merlin reached out and pulled his arm until he sat down again. "What my companion means is you can stay the night at the inn and then tomorrow you can see Arthur for his interview."

Drohn turned to frown at Merlin. "You mean, _King_ Arthur."

Gwaine laughed. "If we're going to get technical with titles, then you should just call him Princess."

Drohn blanched and Merlin shook his head while chuckling. "Drohn, I'm not entirely sure what kingdom you came from-"

"Deorham." he clarified. Merlin narrowed his eyes. That was the land of King Alined. The same man that tried to destroy the peace in Albion years ago. "Right. Well, you'll learn that here in Camelot things are very different. Especially to those who are part of Arthur's inner circle."

Drohn frowned. "Do you mean to say…"

"Sir Gwaine, Knight of the Round Table." Gwaine gave an exaggerated bow while still managing to drink some ale.

"And I'm Merlin. Member of the Royal Council." Merlin felt his heart give an excited thump. That was the first time he had ever introduced himself as such. He couldn't wait until his other position was formally announced.

"Wait, weren't you King Arthur's manservant?"

Merlin frowned. "Yes, I was, but not until recently did my position change. How did you know that?"

"Oh, I just made it my business to know. I wanted to make sure I knew who everyone, at least their names, I'd put faces to the names later. But I figured if I had that information and knew the proper titles, i would have a better chance, especially considering I'm not even from Camelot and there isn't the best of history between Camelot and Deorham-"

"Drohn, we get it. And if you keep blathering on like that, then I will sit you down and make sure you finish Merlin's ale, because at this point, it seems like you need it more." Gwaine interrupted him again.

Drohn laughed. "Right, sorry," he brought the cloth back up to his face, smelled it, then lowered it. "I suppose I'll find the inn then. Hopefully King Arthur will be forgiving of my tardiness." he gave an awkward half bow before walking out and heading for the inn.

Gwaine tipped back the rest of his mug while Merlin only took his second sip. "What's he seeing Arthur for?" Gwaine asked, wiping the excess foam from his moustache.

"Court physician. He's the last one to be seen, but I don't think Arthur will be too impressed with him."

Gwaine grimaced. "Poor lad, doesn't realize how humiliated he's going to be tomorrow."

Merlin smirked. "Ah, I'll make sure Arthur doesn't hurt him too badly."

* * *

A/N: Just a quick clarification, this fic is after the series finale, but of course, Arthur survives and it's all good and well and will eventually be explained further into the fic. But what do you think so far...?


	3. Chapter 2

Merlin wasn't hungover from last night. He barely managed to finish his mug. But after finally convincing Gwaine to leave the tavern and dropping the inebriated knight off to his chambers, it was just two hours until dawn.

He slept in his new chambers, the second night in a row, and glad it was late enough that he passed out as soon as he came in contact with the bed. But he only slept just a few hours before the bells rang, waking everyone in Camelot for this new day, the eve of the feast.

Merlin managed to pull himself out of bed, threw on some clothes, and sat at the table to pick up where he left off with the new magic laws. He only managed a small paragraph before a knock interrupted him. He waited for the door to open, but it never did. Merlin shook himself. Of course, he had been promoted. He was no longer a servant. If it was a servant knocking, they had to wait to be called in.

"Come in." Merlin said, wincing at the raspiness of his voice. That was odd. He hadn't noticed his throat hurting until just now.

The door opened and a servant came in. An errand boy, holding a basket of bread in his arms. "Sir, the King wishes to see you in the throne room." he said, giving a small bow.

Merlin held back a grumble and cleared his throat. "I'll be right there. And don't worry about having to bow to me. You don't have to." Even after clearing his throat, his voice was still too raspy for his liking.

The boy nodded and gave another bow out of habit. His face turned red and he gave an apologetic shrug of his shoulders, before nodding again and quickly closing the door and leaving. That would definitely take some getting used to.

Merlin threw on his coat and made his way to the throne room. He passed by everyone with no special attention drawn to him. Arthur had mentioned to him that he needed to see the royal tailor and get some clothes appropriate for council meetings, but there wasn't any time at the moment and Merlin was content with the clothes he always wore. He still looked like one of the people and could walk around the castle without too much notice.

Besides, he had worn special tailored clothes once for Gwen's coronation and he couldn't wait to get out of them.

He made it to the throne room, still trying to clear his throat. Merlin was sure he just needed some water. First he'd take care of whatever it was Arthur wanted, then he'd track down the water.

When Merlin walked in, Arthur was sitting at his throne. Another man was in the room. Tall, lanky. He turned around and Merlin immediately recognized him. Drohn. He gave a quick nod as he made his way to stand next to Arthur a few steps down. "Good morning." he said, wincing again at his voice.

Arthur gave him an odd look before turning his attention back to Drohn. "Merlin, this is Drohn. The last one on the list to interview."

Merlin nodded, giving Drohn a smile. He cleared his throat again. "Yes, we met last night when he came in to Camelot."

"Oh? Where was that?" Arthur asked.

Merlin pursed his lips. He couldn't very well say the tavern. He needed to think fast-

"The tavern, your highness."

Merlin exhaled loudly and did his best not to glare at Drohn. He turned to Arthur who had a very intrigued look.

"Really? The tavern? Perhaps that might explain your hoarse throat."

Merlin, again, cleared his throat. "Carrying on with the interview...Drohn, why don't you give us background on your training?"

Drohn nodded, keeping his hands still and clasped in front of him. "Well, both of my parents were physicians and I grew up always gathering herbs and helping them clean wounds and wash bandages. By the time I was ten, I could tell the difference between nearly all the herbs and knew their names and their uses."

Merlin listened carefully, but also took notice of how he held himself. It was much different than when they first met in the tavern. This Drohn before him was confident. He stood tall and didn't fidget. His words weren't a rambling mess. Merlin glanced at Arthur and could tell that he was impressed so far. But there was something off about him...Merlin couldn't put his finger on it.

"When I was thirteen, my father became very ill. My mother and I worked tirelessly to treat this illness, but there was nothing we could do. After his death, my mother began training me to take his place. I ended up surpassing my mother in medical knowledge and became the village physician when I was seventeen."

"And how old are you now?" Arthur asked.

"Twenty, sire, this summer equinox."

Merlin coughed. Why was his throat only seeming to hurt even more? "What brought you to Camelot then, if you were already the physician of your village?"

He looked down and Merlin watched as he began fumbling with his hands. Perhaps now, the stuttering young man would emerge. He lifted his head and continued speaking fluidly as he had been doing the last few moments. "I was gathering herbs when a group of bandits attacked my village. They had destroyed everything and no one was left alive. This was a year ago and when I heard of the passing of Gaius, I knew I had to come and at least try for his position."

Merlin and Arthur shared a quick glance. Arthur was obviously impressed, but Merlin still wasn't. And the other men that they had interviewed hadn't been quite as impressive. At least in Arthur's mind.

"You were a day late for this interview," Merlin pointed out. He cleared his throat, but it did nothing. "I'm sure you realize that if you are a day late in seeing a patient, it could mean life or death."

Drohn nodded. "Yes, I realize that. But, as I'm sure you'd understand, traveling alone can be fairly difficult, especially in places where the main road is far off."

Merlin narrowed his eyes just the slightest, detecting a tone of annoyance in Drohn. No, he officially did not like this man and knew he would not be a good suit for Camelot at all.

"Yes, we understand perfectly," Arthur said. "You seem to have impressive qualities and we will discuss them further. We will let you know by tomorrow what decision has been made."

Drohn gave a bow, an overly exaggerated one, Merlin thought. "Thank you, King Arthur, for this opportunity. Whether or not you chose me, it has been my utmost pleasure speaking with you." He straightened and looked at Merlin. "Boil lavender, lemon, and peppermint for your throat."

He turned and Merlin glared daggers at him until he was out of the throne room.

Arthur stood. "I think we might have found our next physician."

Merlin frowned. "Him?"

Arthur nodded. "He obviously has extensive knowledge of medicine and he even prescribed you something for your cough without even asking for any other symptoms."

"But that doesn't mean anything. Those things can be used for almost everything."

"And can they be used to treat a cough?" Merlin sighed. "Yes, but-"

"My point proven. Besides, what is wrong with you? You didn't sound terrible yesterday."

Merlin shook his head. "I probably just slept with my mouth open or something." he mumbled.

Arthur snorted. "Well I want you to follow through with his instructions and then come back to me and we'll make a decision then." Arthur said as he walked out of the throne room.

Merlin glared at his back the entire time and only followed when Arthur was past the doors. He might not have received an official training from Gaius in the art of medicine, but he knew damn well how to treat his sore throat and he would do it without the advice of Drohn.

* * *

Merlin stared down at the parchment in front of him. It had a list of his new duties as the court...magician? No, Merlin didn't like that title. That was the one thing he had left. Come up with a title for himself.

As he tried to make a quick correction, he sneezed, causing the quill in his hand to scratch over the entire parchment. Merlin dropped the quill and glared at the ruined parchment. At least this was still the draft.

He rubbed his eyes before using his sleeve to wipe at his nose. Where had this sudden sickness come from? Pushing his seat back, Merlin walked to the window. He opened it to and took a deep breath of the fresh-

Merlin hunched forward as he began coughing and sneezing all at once and gods his eyes burned!

Sometime during this mini episode, the door opened. "So I assume you still haven't done what Drohn told you."

Merlin wiped his eyes and nose, straightened, and glared at Arthur. "I don't need to. I'm perfectly fine." Of course, Merlin did not sound that clear and Arthur was barely able to translate what Merlin had just told him.

Arthur shook his head and walked to the table. Merlin noticed he was carrying a mug with a steaming liquid. He groaned, turning back to the window with the hope that maybe this was all in his head and Arthur was not here to force him to take this tea.

Yellow dust on the window sill caught his attention. Merlin frowned as he ran his finger over it and brought it up to his nose. He sneezed. Four times. It was pollen. Of course. It was spring and the trees and allergies were in bloom.

"Would you stop being so stubborn and drink this?"

Merlin cleared his throat. "I just had a bunch of water. I don't want to drink something else because then I'll have to use the restroom in the middle of the night."

Arthur gave Merlin a pointed look. "It's the middle of the day."

"You don't know how long it'll take my body to process that."

Arthur set the mug down and crossed his arms. "Alright. What's this about?"

"What are you talking about?" Merlin asked, closing the window. It wouldn't do to have the pollen come inside.

"It's obvious you don't like Drohn. Why?"

"It's not that I don't like him-"

"I know you and I know when you don't like someone."

"Well maybe I just think we can find someone better!"

"Like the ongoing search for my new manservant?"

"Exactly!"

"Merlin, from what I understand, you have only talked to three servants to take up that position and all of them had something wrong."

"Boyd doesn't know how to shine boots properly, Linnox can't tell the difference between rosemary and oregano soap, and Kent is too quiet."

"You're being ridiculous! None of those things really matter!"

"Do they? Because as soon as you bathe in that oregano soap instead of the rosemary, I'm sure you'll notice!"

Arthur closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are these changes happening too fast for you?" he finally asked.

Merlin paused. "What?"

"Gaius' passing is still rather fresh for you, I'm sure. And now all these changes are happening, you've moved chambers, we're searching for a new court physician," Arthur took a breath. "If these things are happening too fast, we can stop. You could still be the acting physician and continue on with your duties as my manservant. Of course that means we would have to postpone your introduction as Court Magician."

Merlin scrunched his nose. "I'm not going to be called that."

Arthur smirked a little. "Well whatever it is. If it's too much-"

Merlin interrupted Arthur. "You have no idea how long I have waited for this day. For magic to be brought back to Camelot, the Once and Future King uniting Albion through magic. So no, Arthur, I don't think we should postpone anything."

Arthur nodded, pleased with Merlin's answer. "Good. So will you give Drohn a chance then?"

Merlin let out an exaggerated breath, taking the mug and drinking a large sip. He grimaced, tasting the bitter lemon with just the hint of peppermint and lavender to soothe the taste. "There. Happy?"

Arthur clapped his shoulder. "So I can give the word to Drohn then that he's hired?"

"I guess."

Arthur grinned. "Wonderful. Now why did you close that window? Fresh air will do you good."

Merlin watched as Arthur threw the window open again, protests on the tip of his tongue. But then a breeze came in, carrying pollen with it and Merlin sneezed and coughed all over again.

Arthur grimaced. "I'm sure once you finish that tea, you'll be feeling much better."


End file.
